News

Posted By Stuart Pointer on 25th February, 2013

Are you wasting water and money

“An international standard on water reduction has been launched to encourage businesses to use water more sustainably.

The UK’s Carbon Trust, which developed the scheme, said many business leaders did not see the issue as a priority.The Water Standard will require firms to measure water use and demonstrate efforts taken to reduce consumption. It is estimated that more than 60% of Europe’s largest cities consume water faster than it can be replenished.

UN data shows that 70% of global freshwater use is for irrigation, 22% is used by industry and 8% is used in homes.
“We know that most businesses that are very big users of water don’t really have a handle on [water stewardship],” explained Carbon Trust chief executive Tom Delay.
In order to be awarded the Carbon Trust Water standard, Mr Delay said the process was “relatively straightforward”.
Carbon Trust Water Standard logo (Image: Carbon Trust) The Carbon Trust said that there was no global standard for business water reduction

“All of the water than comes into the company we will count as an input. We will also look at trade effluent because it is the dirty water and normally needs to be licensed and manage very carefully.”
“We are looking for companies that are awarded the Standard to show a year-on-year reduction on both water input and effluent.”

At Aquasentry we have been working with a number of firms to reduce their waste water usage. In the winter of last year First Transport and Aquasentry started discussions about current pollution control procedures and how they could be more effective. All First site interceptor and bus wash areas are emptied regularly by a waste removal company, at some sites this is done every two weeks.

An average interceptor empty contains 85% water and when the cost of empties is calculated on weight that water becomes a very expensive waste product. Aquasentry immediately reviewed the data and suggested trail operations at three sites. They undertook thorough site investigations with trained engineers to assess each sites needs and proposed solutions to reduce costs and the potential risks to the environment.

Rob Staines; Aquasentry’s Managing Director has been working with the team to provide a tailored solution. “We are really excited to be working with First, there is a real opportunity to save money and reduce waste. Our highly trained team have been working with the group to identify areas where monitoring can be used to ensure key staff are always aware of current pollutants, their waste water levels and are then able to manage any potential risks effectively and quickly”

Only empty your interceptor when you need to…..
A solution made possible by a discreet monitoring system that takes away the need for unnecessary regular emptying, the Aquasentry Interceptor Monitor keeps you informed on the condition of the interceptor. Acceptable levels or oil, water and silt are set by the Aquasentry team and when these are levels are reached within the interceptor, a warning is sent by either e-mail or text alerting a designated team that an empty is now needed. This is also backed up through the online support system where all activity is monitored and recorded, enabling all data to be viewed from a remote location. This system allows The Environment Agency to see that you are in full control of your interceptor levels at all times, assisting with compliance of their Pollution Prevention Guidelines.
Kevin Madeley; The Engineering Manager at the First Adderley Green Depot has been involved with the trial from the start. “The Aquasentry system installed at my site is currently monitoring the silt level in the Karcher bus wash interceptor, the system was installed in April, two months later we still didn’t need to empty the interceptor. If we had continued to follow the normal routine of 2 weekly empties this interceptor would have been emptied four times during the trial period, at an average cost of £1000 per visit and thousand of litres of surface would have been unnecessarily processed through the hazardous waste . This trial has proved we are emptying this interceptor unnecessarily and wasting a large amount of water and money in doing so.
“We have continued to monitor the quality of the bus washing during the trial and there have been no adverse effects to the quality”.

“The Aquasentry system can be used as a high level indicator, silt or oil content monitor if we installed the system to all the interceptors at Adderley Green Depot and only responded to the warning given by the system, the environmental cost saving would be in the thousands of pounds if the same performance level is achieved as the current trial”.

To find out how you can reduce your waste water disposal and ensure that you keep your pollution risks to a minimum call the Aquasentry team today 01924 284900 or click here for more information